N is for News Told Through Letters and Photos
by sapphire blue-ruby red roses
Summary: Gabe receives two letters, one from Puck and the other from Finn. Once he finally opens them, he finds some very interesting news from both his siblings hidden within them.


**Well, I wrote this in 2 hours over my watch that I had from 0400-0800. I had nothing else to do after I was finished. Let me not tell you exactly how bored I was. Anyway, I hope you like this as much as I liked writing it. I just finished rereading The Scorpio Races and just had to write something for it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Scorpio Races, it's wonderful characters, or it's setting. I own absolutely nothing.**

N is for News Told Through Letters and Photos

Gabe sat on the edge of the creaky little full-size. Beech slept contentedly somewhere to his side in his sweaty, unclothed glory that Gabe had left him in earlier that night. Weak moonlight spilled in through the thin curtains over their window that only served as an imaginary boundary between them and Mrs. Wood, their peeping tom of a neighbor who found their relationship so much more interesting than her Spanish soaps.

Thin paper crinkled too loudly between his hands in the dead of night. Sometime after Beech had fallen asleep, the courage to open his siblings' letters hit him hard enough to send him kicking out of bed naked to retrieve them from the shoebox he kept everything precious to him in.

They were pale, creamy white, one considerably thicker than the other and shoved in a clear plastic baggie. The thinner of the two smelled suspiciously of horses and hay and the sea. The other smelled of what had to be cologne and the bakery on Thisby, Palsson's.

Guilt wriggled in the middle of Gabe's chest not only because he hadn't been back to Thisby in several years despite the promise that he would be the last time he'd gone back, but also because he'd received their letters several days ago, but hadn't been able to bring himself to open them. Now, as he cut even, clean lines across the tops, worry and trepidation jerked at him. What could have happened for them to spend their precious money to send two letters by express?

Had the capaill uisce finally managed to drag Sean Kendrick into the sea? Had Puck been badly injured, or killed, during the races this year? Had Finn contracted an illness only treatable by Mainland medicines?

All manners of horrible, ill thought events flitted across Gabe's mind. Beside him, Beech shifted and sighed and screwed up his face at Gabe's suddenly black mood.

A few years ago, if he hadn't been killed during training, it would have been Tommy Falk in his bed, and Beech would have had his own. As fate would have it though, all of their hopes and ambitions for the three of them –for Gabe and Tommy- were not written in their lives, their futures.

After Tommy's death, it had taken Finn only those two days that he was still on the island to figure out why Tommy's death had hit him so hard, harder than their parent's it seemed. The fact hadn't gained the reaction from Finn that Gabe would have thought.

It had taken Gabe and Beech both much longer to settle with what now seemed to be the inevitability of Tommy's death, but eventually, they'd settled with each other instead of finding others. It wasn't an over joyful union, but a content one, much like the ones found on Thisby.

Maybe they couldn't shake the place they'd come from as easily as they thought.

Taking a deep breath, Gabe extracted the letter from the thinnest envelope first.

The paper was thick, heavy, a rich crimson like freshly spilled blood in late October, or Corr's coat. Stamped, or maybe written, in a fine hand and black ink across the front and between the fold was an invitation to the wedding of Kate Connolly and none other than Sean Kendrick.

A thin slip of paper dropped from the folds, landing in his lap. On one side was the unmistakable hurried, spikey hand of his sister, and on the flip, what Gabe assumed was Sean's careful, precise lettering. He decided to brave Sean Kendrick's words first.

_We –_he, don't let him fool you: Kate_- apologize for not taking the proper routes before making the preparations for our marriage. Finn was involved in a way I'd rather not speak off –_don't ever speak of that, please: Kate_- so I felt it only right that we ask you for your blessing –_**he** wants your blessing: Kate_-. She does as well, don't let her fool you. It would mean greatly if you would attend our ceremony._

_-Sean Kendrick_

Gabe had to stifle a grin against his wrist at the sight of Kate's writing interrupting Sean's words. Easy banter that felt all too familiar. He was surprised he didn't see Finn's words cutting into the short paragraph as well.

_Before you freak out, you and Beech are the only ones getting an invitation this nice –_Finn requested one as well: Sean_-. For no apparent reason! He's the one planning the whole ordeal –_it's not an ordeal, it's an experience. She said she wanted to do this the right way: Sean_-. Whatever. Anyways, we hope you two will be able to find some time to come back and join the ceremony. We're all looking forward to seeing you two. And for all the November cake's on this island, write Dory Maud and tell her to stop asking about grandchildren! –_she's not going to listen to anyone: Sean_- I don't care, tell her! Looking forward to seeing you again!_

_-Kate Connolly, Puck Connolly_

Warmth slipped through Gabe's chest. He glanced over the invitation again, checking for a date. It wasn't far off, such as months away, but it wasn't exactly soon either, such as in the next two weeks. That would give Beech and him time to make the necessary preparations. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that he'd be going home for his sister's wedding.

Setting aside the invitation, Gabe wondered what exactly Finn could have sent that would make his letter so thick.

On the flap of the envelope, Finn had written, '_I got a camera! :P_'

Before they spilled across his lap, Gabe knew exactly what had made the folder so thick. Across his lap, pictures of all different variety fell, some floating to the floor, others alighting beside Beech. There had to be fifty pictures, if not more. Only a short note accompanied the photos.

_I thought you might like to see what had been going on since you left. Just know that hardly anything has changed, while many things have changed at the same time._

_-Finn Connolly_

_P.S.- I think Puck might be pregnant, but not in the 'gunshot wedding' sort of way. More in the 'it happened long after proposal' sort of way. So, don't kill Sean.'_

Clipped to the back of the note was one of the smaller snapshots. It was a picture of Kate side-eyeing herself in the long oval mirror that stood in their parent's room, oblivious to Finn's presence, her body turned sideways, her shirt pulled up to reveal her stomach. Standing straight, there was a definite change not only in the way she held herself, but her shape as well.

Gabe shook his head, hardly even irritated. "It was bound to happen eventually, I suppose," he murmured to himself.

"What are you doing?" Beech grumbled, stretching his arms high over his head in a long, yawning stretch.

Setting the invitation on Beech's bare chest, Gabe said as way of reply, "Kate's pregnant."

Shaking his head and blinking to wake himself, he asked, "Pregnant? By who? Not Joseph Beringer, I hope."

"How are you making jokes this early? Who else?" Gabe asked, picking up a picture of Kate and Sean Kendrick throwing buckets of soapy water at each other over Corr's and Dove's backs, and tossing it on top of the invitation.

Beech grunted, sitting up and gathering the photos up slowly into one condensed stack so they could easily look through them. More than half of the photos were of Sean and Puck and their horses. The other half was of the miscellaneous. Finn holding a squirming Puffin. The three sisters at Fathom & Sons bantering over the catalogue or Puck's relationship, possibly. Annie clutching the arm of George Holly, glasses perched on her nose so she could actually see. The races and the capaill uisce from the cliffs. Finn in Palsson's trying valiantly to talk through his stutter to a pair of beautiful twins from the Mainland, a boy and a girl. Finn and Holly stuffing their faces with Palsson's pastries until they couldn't fit any more. Sean and Kate's new, tiny farm. Sean's family home, Puck peaking inside the cracked door with a wide grin. George Holly beside Sean Kendrick, his arm thrown carelessly and familiarly across Sean's shoulders, a red colt on Sean's other side.

The half of Puck and Sean were a variety of their own. Finn had somehow caught Puck and Sean riding stride for stride on an island pony and a capaill uisce that were not their usual mounts, the other in the races lost behind them. Puck crying out in surprise as Sean hefted her over his shoulder. Sean's eyes caught in surprise as Kate placed a kiss on his mouth. Kate pulling a reluctant Sean into a dance at the Scorpio Festival. Puck standing beside a very obviously pregnant Dove. Sean pressing his forehead to Corr's. An absolutely irritated Puck nursing a cup of hot chocolate, pillowed against Sean's chest. Puck and Sean trotting Dove and Corr bareback across the cliffs, Corr still unable to run. Puck and Sean pressed against each other on Dove's back, racing the wind.

"They look happy," Gabe murmured, the warmth glowing brighter by the second.

Beech grunted in response, still flipping through the photos. "Are we going back?"

"I suppose we'll have to. We can't miss a wedding and a pregnancy, especially my sister's."

"We'll buy tickets tomorrow then," Beech decided, "Just in time for Christmas."

**I'm sorry for that ending, I just had to. Christmas is 6 days away, and I just couldn't resist. Please don't hate me. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did though. Hope you all have happy holidays!**


End file.
